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About Town 4-26-13

Volcanotown Showdown slated Saturday

The Volcanotown Showdown, a free community skateboarding event, is planned from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Volcano Skatepark. Contests, music, food and bus fare reimbursement are included. The event is the first of a “log-out, drop-in series.”

For more information or to volunteer, call Vashti at 313-1358.

SKEA to host wine tasting event

Da Kine Wine, a tasting of fine wines sponsored by Johnson Brothers Liquor Co., is slated from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Society for Kona’s Education and Art building. The event also includes food, live music, art and a silent auction. Tickets are available at Patels, PC911 and SKEA.

Call SKEA at 328-9392 for more information.

Senior Strut scheduled Saturday

The Hawaii County Elderly Recreation Services is holding its second Senior Strut, starting at 8 a.m. Saturday at Hale Halawai in Kailua-Kona. The free 5-kilometer or 1-mile races are open to anyone 55 and older. No advance registration is needed. Racers travel down Alii Drive.

The event is made possible with sponsorship by Cal-Kona Produce, GNC Kona, Big Island Running Co. and Elderly Recreation Services.

For more information, contact Kelly at Elderly Recreation Services, 323-4340.

The state Department of Health Immunization Branch is launching a statewide educational campaign targeting pregnant women, family members and caregivers, urging those who will have close contact with newborns and infants to get vaccinated against pertussis, also known as whooping cough. A combination of Internet marketing and print materials, distributed through immunization providers, preschools and local businesses, will be used to promote the campaign’s message to the public.

“Although parents are doing a good job ensuring their children are vaccinated on time, we are most concerned about newborns and infants younger than 2 months because they’re too young to be vaccinated themselves,” said State Health Director Loretta Fuddy. “We are encouraging family members and caregivers to protect themselves to keep from transmitting the disease to our youngest and most vulnerable keiki.”

Pertussis is very contagious and can cause serious, even fatal illness — especially in infants who are too young to be fully vaccinated. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention, more than 41,000 cases of pertussis were reported across the United States during 2012, including 18 deaths. The majority of deaths occurred among infants younger than 3 months of age. Preliminary data estimate 73 cases of pertussis in Hawaii were reported to DOH in 2012.

In addition to vaccinating those who will come into close contact with infants, pregnant women are now recommended to receive the pertussis vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks gestation.

For more information, contact a doctor, visit hawaii.gov/health/Immunization/index.html, or call 211.